Modeling of the redox state dynamics in photosystem II of Chlorella pyrenoidosa Chick cells and leaves of spinach and Arabidopsis thaliana from single flash-induced fluorescence quantum yield changes on the 100 ns–10 s time scale

The time courses of the photosystem II (PSII) redox states were analyzed with a model scheme supposing a fraction of 11–25 % semiquinone (with reduced Q B - ) RCs in the dark. Patterns of single flash-induced transient fluorescence yield (SFITFY) measured for leaves (spinach and Arabidopsis ( A.) thaliana ) and the thermophilic alga Chlorella ( C. ) pyrenoidosa Chick (Steffen et al. Biochemistry 44:3123−3132, 2005 ; Belyaeva et al. Photosynth Res 98:105–119, 2008 , Plant Physiol Biochem 77:49–59, 2014 ) were fitted with the PSII model. The simulations show that at high-light conditions the flash generated triplet carotenoid 3 Car( t ) population is the main NPQ regulator decaying in the time interval of 6–8 μs. So the SFITFY increase up to the maximum level F m STF / F 0 (at ~50 μs) depends mainly on the flash energy. Transient electron redistributions on the RC redox cofactors were displayed to explain the SFITFY measured by weak light pulses during the PSII relaxation by electron transfer (ET) steps and coupled proton transfer on both the donor and the acceptor side of the PSII. The contribution of non-radiative charge recombination was taken into account. Analytical expressions for the laser flash, the 3 Car( t ) decay and the work of the water-oxidizing complex (WOC) were used to improve the modeled P680 + reduction by Y Z in the state S 1 of the WOC. All parameter values were compared between spinach, A. thaliana leaves and C. pyrenoidosa alga cells and at different laser flash energies. ET from Q A - to Q B ( - ) slower in alga as compared to leaf samples was elucidated by the dynamics of Q A - , Q B - fractions to fit SFITFY data. Low membrane energization after the 10 ns single turnover flash was modeled: the ∆ Ψ ( t ) amplitude (20 mV) is found to be about 5-fold smaller than under the continuous light induction; the time-independent lumen pH L , stroma pH S are fitted close to dark estimates. Depending on the flash energy used at 1.4, 4, 100 % the pH S in stroma is fitted to 7.3, 7.4, and 7.7, respectively. The biggest ∆pH difference between stroma and lumen was found to be 1.2, thus pH- dependent NPQ was not considered.